(Photo credit: VCG)

The super typhoon Lekima has left and the temperature once again rises! During these sweltering summer days, why not find a secluded bistro in Hangzhou to hang out with your friends or drown your worries in drinks? These following recommended bistros feature quiet and cozy environment and unique flavor, and somehow manage to give costomers a sense of comfort even if they just sit there without drinking.

Delete

Address: 54 Xiaohe Straight Street, Hemu Road 和睦路小河直街54号

Delete is a leisure bar hidden deep in Xiaohe Road. The bar has no door sign and logo, thus first-time visitors usually have to take some time to find the door. find out where the door is. Entering it, you will be greeted by a spacious area with glasshouses, a long wood bar, large primitive cactuses, staghorn chandeliers, and an area full of tropical plants which people may mistake it for a botanical garden. There also sets a spacious terrace in the bar, close to Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, offering extremely comfortable experience during summer nights. 

Joy 酒隐

Address: 87 Nanshan Road 南山路87号

There are a lot of bars along Nanshan Road and each features its unique style. Joy, however, stands out from the rest for its cocktails, which is the best in Hangzhou. At a time when novelty bars spring up like mushrooms, Joy has become a classic representative of Hangzhou's bar business. And it has been dedicated to providing the best cocktails in town for years.

Half & Half

Address: 216 Xueyuan Road 学院路216号

Half & Half may not be the most distinctive bar in Hangzhou, but it certainly is the bar with the most delicious food in town. As a midnight hangout place, if you just want to chat and drink with friends, Half & Half is the ideal place to go.

The "Shi Quan Da Bu (all nourishing decoctions)" certainly is the beverage with the most flavors of tea.

Because of its bar food such as Lard Rice, Half & Half has gained its fame. Midnight is always a good time to satisfy your stomach and drinks alone can't be enough, so why not come to Half & Half and try its Mapo Tofu Spaghetti, Tuna dumplings, etc. 

YOU 柚

Address: 7 Feng Huang Shan Jiao Road 凤凰山脚路7号

At the foot of Phoenix Mountain (pinyin: feng huang shan; simplified Chinese凤凰山), there lies a small stylish bar called YOU.

Waiters and waitresses of the bar are well-trained and know well about its wines, and can answer almost all the questions customers asked. 

You can try their recommended cocktail "Letter". The name of the cocktail originated from Higashino Keigo's novel Letter. It is low in alcohol and the wine is added with Italian wild hazelnuts, which giving the cocktail the fragrance of nuts in addition to the freshness of watermelon and kiwi fruit.

Vin de Jean Herni 鉴衡里2号

Address: Vin de JeanHerni, room 101 to 102, 2 Wushan Road 吴山路鉴衡里2号101-102室

Jean Herni (鉴衡里), an old community, originated in Hangzhou since the Qing Dynasty (1636-1912). This ancient area gathers a group of restaurants offering delicious food.

This bistro has an aura of elegance. "Interesting" is how people define it: the decoration is interesting, its owner is an interesting person and the flavor of the wine it offers is also very interesting as well. It's an ideal place for a group of people to hang out.

The decoration of the bistro is of retro style with elegant archways, old cane chairs, exquisite paintings and large areas of retro vermillion walls.

The bistro also offers white, red and orange wines and Vinho Verde from different production areas around the globe. 

The owner is a lovely girl who has studied for years in Europe. She knows a lot about wine and loves to talk about it. Menus in the bistro are handwritten by the owner and it supplies almost all  the classic snacks, sausages, cheeses...

(Executive Editor: Yijun CHEN)